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What are the Key Strategies for Successful International Doctor Recruitment UK?
- by Shital
- on August 29, 2024
If you’ve been following the latest news, you’re likely aware of the present unique challenges faced by the UK’s healthcare system. It ranges from staff shortages, immigration status uncertainty, retention, cultural disparity, lack of proper information, patient care backlog, etc. which have stretched the need beyond capacity.
So for international doctor recruitment UK is in high demand for supplying medical workforce to fill the gap. This complex and challenging process needs a quality recruitment assessment policy for different countries to join the unit.
As the UK’s demographic has increased by 0.33% in 2024 from 2023, with the prevalence of chronic conditions and different health complexities currently the norm, so significant numbers of populations in need of more medical care, the demand for doctors, particularly general practitioners (GPs), that has been skyrocketed. The shortage of qualified medical professionals across the UK has led to an overreliance on locum doctors, which not only strains the resources of the NHS but also presents challenges in providing consistent and quality care to patients.
In response to this pressing question, problem, or concern, the British government has put forth different initiatives to address the workforce shortages. One such initiative has proposed to open five new medical schools to increase the doctor-population ratio by 25%. While this is a step considered to be indicative of positive progress, but it still falls short of what is needed to meet the growing doctor’s demands of the population.
To compound the problem, recent reports reveal that UK Health Care Ministers had stalled plans to double the number of doctors being trained in England by 2031 have been significantly delayed. This setback has dismay across the NHS, including healthcare professionals, medical schools, and universities. So there is an urgent need to ramp up efforts for international doctor recruitment UK to retain the needs.
As of September 2023, there were over 147,622 doctors in England’s NHS Hospitals and Community Health Services joined (source – STATISTA), which signifies an increase in the workforce. However, this number still falls below the required threshold to effectively meet the unmet healthcare workforce based on the population to prioritise upstream international doctor recruitment strategies in the UK.
To address this persistent NHS medical workforce crisis, it is important to focus on strategies for successful international doctor recruitment UK to support the needs of primary care doctors. In addition to increasing the overall number of doctors, recruiting international medical graduates can play a vital role in supporting the GP workforce, filling physician shortage areas, and meeting the rising healthcare demands.
What reasons do international doctors tend to work in the UK? You might need to know:
- International doctors would like to be associated with the world’s most prestigious healthcare systems.
- International doctors intend to join the most rewarding and respected career paths in the UK.
- They would like to achieve dynamic clinical experience for treating different patients and conditions.
- Work alongside patient-centred medical specialists.
- Achieve new skills and develop a prosperous career.
- Seek advantage of advanced medical research.
- Get training opportunities from professional practitioners.
Whatever the above-mentioned aspirations you’ve, relocating to a new country for a new job is not always an exciting event, so choosing an international doctor recruitment service in the UK could ensure careful placements and give you a chance to prosper in the UK.
How to Build a Positive International Doctor Recruitment Journey For the UK’s NHS Health Careers?
Far beyond a mere transaction, the recruiting process of locum doctors in the UK is high time-intensive and effortful, it needs great attention to migration policy checks and two-way recruiter and candidate communication. The stakes are high, not only in terms of talented doctors’ recruitment but also in the potential costs of poorly organised physician recruiting.
The current reality, especially in a candidate-driven market, emphasises the need for healthcare organisations to go above and beyond in ensuring a positive and extraordinary experience for the physicians they are recruiting.
Effective Communication!
Central to the success of physician recruiting is the art of effective communication. The importance of engaging and lawful communications with candidates cannot be overstated. It’s not just about filling a position, but rather about understanding the unique motivations and concerns of each international doctor recruitment for the UK. Building a relationship based on recruitment transparency and mutual understanding is key to creating a positive outlook for candidates, which can significantly influence international doctors’ decision-making process.
Transparency In Physician’s Journey!
Transparency is essential for better understanding candidates’ perceptions about the locum doctor recruitment agency in the UK. It is necessary to provide a window, so candidates can easily access an accurate and complete overview of your organization’s early recruiting process.
So, the international doctor recruitment agency UK should offer video interview platforms and walk-through virtual online office space tours that can offer a fresh and engaging perspective. That helps international doctors see growth opportunities and their journey as successful physicians.
Virtually Meet Candidates!
The interview phase provides an invaluable opportunity not only to assess a physician’s expediency for a role but also to an effective representation of “sell the job offer” to candidates. Ask them what interested them most about their medical doctors’ jobs, engage in discussion with candidates to check their medical background and experiences, and emphasise the most interesting parts of the job that may appeal to genuine excitement for the role. A personalised and engaging interview can assess candidates’ interest in their dream jobs.
Take advantage of automated interview scheduling tools and conduct video interviews with international doctors, that enable you to reach and convenience for both candidates and recruiters. That boosts the overall efficiency of the international doctor recruitment process.
Be Clear and Cut Down Time-To-Hire!
Physicians’ jobs are set of unknown challenges. Typical days often include, running constant of eight to 12 hours of duty schedules, onerous administrative tasks, workplace constantly interrupted, frequent burnout, managed mental fatigue, and making rapid decisions. This needs to be described by the recruiter about situational expression before joining doctors.
International Doctor Recruitment agencies in the UK must take advantage of the latest recruitment technology to respond to the candidates’s queries. End-to-end communication systems shall eliminate international physicians’ confusion in advance, effectively execute a structured hiring process, and drive down time to hire.
Compensation Analysis!
Are you offering a competitive compensation package or a competitive benefit package? If not, you may find it challenging to engage and recruit the skilled physicians you need, it may be difficult alone to retain them in the long term. Offer compensation as a package awarded to physicians with a value equal to or greater than the market average offering.
To ensure you’re offering an attractive compensation package must be aligned with what competitors are offering. Benchmarking against industry standards will help you understand where you stand and identify areas of growth. Suppose you need to increase your compensation to attract the right candidates. In that case, it’s important to acquire approval from the hospital board of trustees or those in charge of finances before you begin recruiting. This proactive approach will help you to move swiftly once you start interviewing.
Offer Balanced Work-life and Time Off!
For many physicians, juggling demands at work and personal life can be like trying to solve a hectic puzzle within the demanding healthcare field. Sometimes struggling to fit in time for family, friends, hobbies, or leisure-time physical activity outside of work can lead to stress and a lack of passion.
To enhance your physician recruiting and retention strategy, an international doctor recruitment agency UK must focus on providing favourable or flexible scheduling options and an adequate amount of paid time off. “Journal of Happiness Studies” quoted in their study that an effective PTO policy can reduce burnout levels among employees. Which ought to be at least 8 days per year along with unforeseen emergencies that crop up. That shows your organisation’s commitment to promoting work-life balance, which will greatly appeal to candidates.
Communicate a clear understanding of the benefits!
Most Candidates need a clear understanding of the benefits available to them in order to fully appreciate what your organisation offers. If an international doctor recruitment agency UK provides performance-based incentives, a partnership track for a reputation for excellence, or retirement benefits under the Pensioners Welfare scheme, ensure that your tailored approach to recruitment communication is efficient, detailed benefits-oriented, and frictionless as well.
Additionally, it’s necessary to promote a workplace culture that encourages employees will get advantages of all the perks and benefits you offer.
Build a community and its amenities!
Many physicians often relocate with their families, so their family stability and well-rounded security make it important to consider their needs as well. So creating a positive experience for the physician’s partner and children, and setting the indisputable child-centred community and its amenities, can promote favourable candidate equity.
Offer assistance with job searches for the partner, provide tours of the town, and highlight relevant features such as schools, houses of faith, and cultural institutions. It helps the family imagine a fulfilling life in the community. Thereby, it can increase the likelihood of successfully recruiting the physician.
Offer relocation assistance:
Once a physician has agreed to join your team after filling out the signed-up process along with registration particulars and is preparing to relocate, it’s essential to continue the momentum.
Keep them updated about the community they will be joining and help them feel comfortable with the upcoming change. Give space to physicians to ask questions, address their specific queries and assist with logistics before they move. As a responsible international doctor recruitment agency UK, you have to offer unique opportunities to nurture the relationship and ensure a smooth transition that helps add to the chances of retaining the physician in the long run.
Are you in look for answers?
- Where do I search for doctor jobs in the UK?
- How do I become a locum doctor in the UK?
- How do locum recruitment agencies help me find international doctor recruitment in the UK?
Euronoxx Medical Group Ltd is the answer to all your queries. As an international doctor recruitment UK, we offer attractive compensation packages to retain top talents. In prioritisation of a productive workforce – we offer a stable job with a well-designed work-life balance to keep physicians motivated and engaged at the workplace.
Additionally, considering the needs of the physician’s family, maintaining connections with past candidates, and providing ongoing support throughout relocation will contribute to a successful recruitment and long-term retention strategy.
Talk to our international doctor recruitment UK contact number today at +44 2036421175 or email us at [email protected] for your every query.
